August 11, 1877.]

PUNCH, OR THE LONDON CHARIVARI.

49

PUNCH'S ESSENCE OF PARLIAMENT.

oras non numero nisi
procellosas." Punch's
motto is the reverse
of the sun - dial's—
but when before could
he count six - and-
twenty such hours on
a stretch ? Ever me-
morable be the Session
in which the House
sat the clock round—
and two hours and a
half over!

What a week we
have been having!

It began, as fitting,
with a Saturday sit-
ting {July 28), which
always tends to de-
range the Collective
Wisdom, especially on
the edge of the dog-
days. The ground-
swell left by last
week's rows was still
heaving, with the
poor little unsea-
worthy Ark of the
Resolutions tossing uneasily on the
troubled waters. So, no wonder if—
evil communications corrupting good
manners—the Scotch Members should
have taken a leaf out of the Irish
Obstructive book, and taken to kick
against the pricks of time, and (on the
order for going into Committee on the
Sheriff's Court Bill) first to move an
adjournment, and then to complain of
the way Scotch business had gone to
the wall this Session, and even to dis-
pute and divide on a Motion of the Lord
^ Advocate's to report progress. To be

sure, on division it was 39 to 61, instead
of 3 to 149 in the Irish fashion, which
gives one a comparative measure of sturdy Scot as against wrong-headed Hibernian.
Me. Cboss flung oil on the waters, and promised the sore Scots Wednesday. Alas!
"Minister proposes, and M.P. (Irish) disposes." When that Wednesday came, where were
Scots' hopes, and Cross's promises !

Monday {Lords).—Lord Cadogan—a good military name, with a smack of Marlborough
about it—brought forward the Warrant for Appointment, Promotion, and Retirement in the
Army.

The Marquis of Lansdowne ventured a reasonable grumble that it was rather slow
work to be a year hatching the Warrant, and rather sharp work to require Parliament to
make up its mind about it in the over-crowded fortnight at the fag-end of the Session.

Considering that the Warrant combines a scheme of compulsory as well as voluntary
retirement—that besides getting rid of a heavy load of dead-weight in the form of Super-
annuated Field-Officers, long hors de combat, and only Field Officers in the lucus a non
lucendo sense, on a very liberally calculated scale of allowances, it compels the retirement
of Company and Field-Officers at ages which may cut short the career of many possible
Colin Campbells and Havelocks, there was much force in the Mabqjtis of Lansdowne's
reminder of Sir Lintobn Slmmons's weighty evidence as to the over-officering of our Army,
and the saving in cost and quickening of promotion from a nearer approximation to the
Continental proportion of officers to men.

Of course the Duke oe Cambridge doesn't like reorganisation. It would be odd if he did.
But Lord Stbathnaien, and Lord Sandhurst, and Sir John Adte's opinions are to be set
against the Duke's, and, perhaps, in military minds, are likely to weigh as heavy. While
the Duke spoke a dove flew in and circled round the House. Was it an emblem of peace
that had made its way out of the War Office, or out of the Cabinet-room ?

Lord Fobtesctte ventured a good suggestion, that riding across country and athletics
should be included in the Commissions competition.

Considering the place these sports and pastimes fill in the Public Schools and University
curriculum, it would only be fair should they make their marks in the Military Exams.
Bookworms neither look well nor work well in uniform. _

{Commons.)—After a feeling reference to the sad and sudden death of Me. Wabd Hunt—
it seems but yesterday Punch was squibbing in his kindly face, and flinging his crackers at
his broad back—all went quietly enough, till poor dear Whallet got called to order in
attempting a personal explanation. He is like the Mgger, always complaining of "too
high or "too low." You can't lay the lash on to please him. The Biggae figured at
his Biggarest, which we presume is his best. On Saturday he had objected to The
0 Donoghue as unfit to sit on a Select Committee. Now called on by the Speakeb, as
Censor Morum of St. Stephens, to state his reasons, he could only refer vaguely to a dis-
cussion of 4ast Session, or the Session before," where many quotations from The
O'Donoghue's speeches were read and discussed in his presence, and an impression was still

on his mind that the Chieftain "did not
come very pleasantly out of the discussion."
He couldn't be expected to remember
details, and hadn't had notice he was going
to be put to the question, or would have got
up his answer.

This light and airy way of dealing with
a grave charge very much disgusted the
House, and brought Sib W. Haecouet hot
and heavy on the Member for Cavan. At-
tacking a Member in the House was not, he
reminded Mr. Biggar, like firing at a land-
lord from behind a dyke. You can't hide
your blunderbuss, or make a secret of your
slugs. " A man who makes such a charge
must have it ready." The chosen of Cavan
caved in ; The O'Donoghue was contemp-
tuously magnanimous ; and, altogether,
Mr. Biggar, to use his own phrase, "did
not come particularly well out of it."

In Committee on South Africa Bill, rose
the first mutterings of the storm, which
was soon to sweep the House beyond note
of nightcap or ken of compass, out of reck
of rest or count of time, into the roaring
region of Rowdy-land. For whereas an
overwhelming majority on both sides the
House were urgent for the Bill's passing, a
few of the more stubborn, and, if we may
use the word without being offensive,
crotchety sort, as Sie Charles Dilee, Me.
Courtney, and Me. Rylands, rationally
objected ; to them, as to the little nucleus of
obstruction that in a fast-flowing river
draws to it ooze and rubbish, sticks and
snags, till from an obstacle it grows an
island, gathered the Irish Obstructives,
Paenell and Biggar and Callan, and,
among them, soon contrived to sweep the
House back into last week's Donnybrook
Fair "divarsion" of unreasoning row, Mr.
Callan figuring in the i rent of the shille-
lagh-shindy.

" So bad begins, but worse remains behind."

Tuesday {Lords).—Lord Kinnaibd asked
Lord Deeby if he would oblige the Russo-
phobes by rubbing up, or at least laying
bare, the Polish raw, and Loed Houghton
and Lord Stanley oe Alderley backed
the request. Lobd Derby did not see why
he should open up fourteen years' old
grievances for the purpose of embittering
feelings that are bitter enough in all con-
science already.

{Cotm)ions.)—When a Public Board re-
quires ground for a street, it is the usual
course to take not only what it actually
wants for the street, but a certain scheduled
breadth on either side for new frontages, that
it may recoup itself so much of its outlay by
their re-sale. Once by a Committee of the
House of Lords this public right was
restrained in favour of a noble owner—
Lobd Cadogan. In the case of the much-
needed thoroughfare from Tottenham Court
to Charing Cross, planned by the Metro-
politan Board of Works, a Committee of
the House of Lords has, a second time,
attempted to restrain the public right in
favour of a lordly owner—the Earl of
Salisbuey. The Board of Works has
dropped this part of the Bill rather than
yield. Me. Fawcett doesn't see it, and
moves to restore this part of the Bill in
the form of a dissent from the Lords'
Amendments. Serve the Lords right. They
ought to be ashamed of themselves, and so
ought Loed Salisbury's agent. Of course
it's all his doing.

The Chancelloe of the Excheqtjee
assured Me. Whalley that Government
didn't want any extra money for troops and
transport—howl the I). T. never so Del-
Tremendously.

Then the House went into Committee on

vol. Lxxni.